Vacuum cleaner furniture guard



Aug. l1, 1953 F. s. HOWARD VACUUM CLEANER FURNITURE GUARD Filed Nov. 8, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Woe?? 07".-

Aug. ll, 1953 F. s. HowARD VACUUM CLEANER FURNITURE GUARD 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 8, 1946 Aug. 11, 1953 F, s. HowARn 2,648,090

VACUUM CLEANER FURNITURE GUARD Filed Nov. 8, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Aug. 11, 1953 VACUUM CLEANER FURNITURE GUARD Frank S. Howard, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Birtman Electric Company, a corporation of Illinois Application November 8, 1946, Serial No. 708,482

7 Claims. (C1. 15-325) This invention relates to a furniture guard for use on vacuum cleaners and the like.

Floor model vacuum cleaners that are used by moving them around the floor by means of a handle have long been equipped with guard means on the front of the cleaner to prevent scarring, scratching, and otherwise damaging furniture or walls with which the cleaner may come in contact. These furniture guards have been of many types. Some have been permanently mounted on the cleaner, while others have been removable so that they could be replaced when damaged. Various means have been proposed for fastening these replaceable guards in place, but not all have been complete satisfactory, as too much labor has often been required to remove the old guard and replace it with 'the new one. Furthermore, it was often difficult to apply the furniture guard and difficult to make it fit smoothly against the outer surface of the cleaner. The new furniture guard which is the subject of this invention is easily installed and removed, and ts smoothly against the surface of the cleaner, thereby presenting a pleasing appearance. Although the new furniture guard is particularly adaptable for use on vacuum cleaners, it is believed evident that it may also be used on other similar objects. When used on vacuum cleaners or other objects it has the advantage of presenting a neat appearance, of being firmly held in place, and of being easily installed and removed.

The invention will be described as related to the embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings. Of the drawings Fig. l is a side elevation of a cleaner embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the cleaner with portions of the furniture guard broken away; Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the cleaner; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective View of one end of the furniture guard and the corresponding portion of the cleaner casing prior to securing said end to the casing; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective View of a member used-for securing one end of the furniture guard; and Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but showing the securing member in place on the casing.

The vacuum cleaner shown in the accompany ing drawings comprises a casing I0 having a front nozzle portion I I, a handle I2, a bag I3, front supporting wheels I4, intermediate wheels I5, rear wheels I6, and a furniture guard I'I around the nozzle II above the nozzle opening I8.

The furniture guard I1 is in the shape of a lll belt and is made of a strip of resilient material such as rubber having a curved top surface I9 and a fiat casing-contacting surface 20. At the front of the nozzle II there are located fiat, narrow horizontal extensions 2l spaced from each other and aligned in a horizontal row. Above this row is a second series of flat, narrow horizontal extensions 22 shorter than those in the first row. The two rows are substantially parallel to each other. The extensions 2I are adapted to engage a longitudinal groove 23 on the inner surface 20 of the guard I'I. rlhe other extensions 22 are also adapted to engage a second groove 24 on the inner surface 20 of the guard I'I. The grooves 23 and 24 are substantially parallel to each other. A third groove 25 is arranged between the two grooves 23 and 24. rlhis third groove does not engage any extensions, but is used to make the furniture guard more resilient.

On the bottom edge of the casing I0 adjacent the nozzle I I there are located a pair of slots 26 having open mouths in the bottom edge of the casing. Each slot is of substantial depth and is located adjacent an end of the wall of the nozzle I I. The front edge 21 of each slot is straight and at substantially right angles to the bottom edge 30 of the nozzle. VThe rear edge 23 of each slot has its bottom spaced from the bottom of the front edge, and curves to meet the top of the front edge. Adjacent the front edge 21, but spaced therefrom, there is located a stop member 2S fixed to the bottom edge 30 of the nozzle. The stop member 29 is arranged to bear against the bottom edge of the furniture guard Il and prevent downward displacement of the guard.

Each end of the furniture guard I'I detachably holds a retaining member 3I for engagement with a slot 26. Each retaining member has a fiat portion 32 for abutting the end of the furniture guard Il, an extended portion 33 at right angles to the fiat end Vportion 32, and an outwardly directed arm or ange 34 yat right angles to the extended portion 33. The retaining member 3I is releasably held by they furniture guard I1 by means of a recessed port or transverse groove 35 in the inner surface 20 of the furniture guard Il, into which the ange 34 is adapted to be inserted, as shown in Fig. 4. At the bottom of the `flat portion 32 of the retaining member 3! there yis located a second extended portion 36 at right angles totheflat portion 32 and adapted to lie along the bottom edgeof the furniture guard II when the retaining member 3I is in place. This second extended portion 36 is provided with an upwardly directed lip 31 on its rear edge adapted to engage the bottom of the front edge 21 of a slot 26. The portion 36 is designed to extend across the open mouth of the slot 26 as shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 6.

When the retaining members 3| are in place on the ends of the furniture guard |1 as shown in Fig. 4, each end of the guard may be inserted in its slot 26 as shown in Fig. 3. The end of the furniture guard is held by the fiat portion 32 bearing against the inner surface of the casing Il) defining the slot 26, and the corner 40 between the extended portion 36 and the lip 31 bearing against the front edge 21 adjacent the corner defined by the edge 21 and the nozzle edge 30. The stop members 29 which engage the bottom of the guard adjacent the retaining members 3| in conjunction with the projections 2| and 22 and grooves 23 and 24 prevent the furniture'guard from accidentally slipping downwardly and thus prevent accidental disengagement of the members 3| from the casing portions containing the slots 26. The furniture guard l1 is made of such a length that it is stretched between the two retaining members 3| and bears tightly against the outer surface of the nozzle The extensions 2| and 22 engaging grooves 23 and 24 prevent upward and downward displacement of the furniture guard |1. When it is desired to remove the furniture guard one retaining member 3| is slipped out of its slot and then the other retaining member is slipped out if its slot. The front portion 32 of each retaining member 3| is made larger in width than the Width of at least a portion of its slot 26 so that the furniture guard will be firmly anchored.

Having described my invention as relatedv to the embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings, it is my intention that the invention be not limited by any of the details of description unless otherwise specied, but rather be construed broadly within its spirit and scope as set out in the accompanying claims.

I claim:

1. In a vacuum cleaner, a casing including a nozzle, a furniture guard normally extending around the front of the nozzle, said casing having a slot provided with an open mouth in the bottom edge of the casing, an outwardly projecting extended member on the bottom of the casing adjacent to but spaced from the opening for preventing downward displacement of the guard, and a member detachably held by an end of the guard and insertable in said slot through said open mouth for fastening the end of said guard, said detachable member having an end portion of larger width than at least a portion of said slot and a bottom part engaging an edge portion of the casing defining the slot when said detachable member is in place.

2. In a vacuum cleaner, a casing including a nozzle, a furniture guard normally extending around the front of the nozzle, said casing having a slot provided with an open mouth in the bottom edge of the casing, an outwardly projecting extended member on the bottom of the casing adjacent to but spaced from the opening for preventing downward displacement of the guard, and a member detachably held by an end of the guard and insertable in said slot through said open mouth for fastening the end of said guard, said detachable member having an end portion of larger width than at least a portion of said slot, an extended portion adjacent said end portion normally held between the outer surface of the casing and the casing-contacting surface of the guard and an outwardly-extending flange portion on said extended portion normally engaging a transverse slot located in said casingcontacting surface of the guard.

3. In a vacuum cleaner, a casing having a pair of spaced slots each having an open mouth at the bottom of the casing and the casing having a bottom stop member adjacent each slot, a resilient belt on the casing normally extending under tension between and into the slots and resting on the stop members, each end of the belt having a recessed part, and a retaining member removably attached to each end of the belt by an arm extending into the recessed part, each retaining member normally being held against a part of the inner surface of the casing portion defining'a slot and the tension of the belt serving simultaneously to aid in the holding the belt against the casing and stop members, each retaining member against the inner surface of the casing portion defining a slot, and the retaining members on the belt.

4. The vacuum cleaner of claim 3 wherein each retaining member includes an end portion normally bearing against said part of the inner surface of the casing defining a slot and an extended portion carrying the belt-engaging arm and lying between the inner surface of the belt and the outer surface of the casing.

5 The vacuum cleaner of claim 3 wherein the belt has a flat casing-engaging surface provided with a plurality of substantially parallel longitudinal grooves, the belt, including the ends extending into the grooves, being of substantially unvarying transverse shape and transverse dimensions except for the recessed parts into which each retainingr member arm extends.

6. The vacuum cleaner of claim 3 wherein each retaining member includes an end portion normally bearing against said part of the inner surface of the casing defining a slot, and extended portion carrying the belt-engaging arm and lying between the inner surface of the belt and the outer surface of the casing, and a second extended portion normally lying along the bottom edge of the belt and across the mouth of the slot.

7. The vacuum cleaner of claim 6 wherein each retaining member is rpovided with an inwardly directed lip on the second extended portion and normally bearing against the casing portion deiining an edge of the slot.

FRANK S. HOWARD.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,695,246 Gammeter Dec. 11, 1928 1,883,327 Becker Oct. 18, 1932 1,936,113 Jelliife Nov. 21, 1933 2,052,498 Stiles Aug. 25, 1936 2,151,837 Burke Mar. 28, 1939 2,153,481 Ponselle Apr. 4,1939 2,221,746 Kirby Nov. 12, 1940 2,226,371 Carlson Dec. 24, 1940 2,258,740 Carlson Oct. 14, 1941 2,317,570 White Apr. 27, 1943 2,345,452 Boyer Mar. 28, 1944 2,359,194 Becker Sept. 26, 1944 2,389,881 White Nov. 27, 1945 2,397,541 Foley Apr. 2, 1946 2,457,360 Flora Dec. 28, 1948 

